FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracie Morgan
(478) 274-3935
Fairview Park Now Region’s ONLY Accredited Chest Pain Center With PCI
July 4, 2011 (Dublin, GA) – Fairview Park Hospital (FPH) has been recognized with a cardiology
mark of excellence; Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
(PCI). Awarded by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), this distinction sets Fairview Park
apart from other area facilities in the treatment of patients with heart related illnesses. FPH is 1
of only 16 facilities in the state of Georgia to be recognized as an Accredited Chest Pain Center.
An international organization, the SCPC is dedicated to eliminating heart disease as the number
one cause of death worldwide. Hospitals that have received chest pain center accreditation
have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with signs &
symptoms of a heart attack. Accredited facilities emphasize the importance of standardized
diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation, as well
as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack
symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat
other medical problems, and help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the
risk factors for heart attack.
“This is a very proud moment for our facility and represents the tireless efforts that went into
making this possible,” says Don Avery, Chief Executive Officer of FPH. “Our mission is to offer
the highest quality of care to the people of middle Georgia. This accreditation signifies that
we’re doing so at an ‘excellent’ level.”
To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI, Fairview Park engaged in rigorous
evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who are experiencing
the signs & symptoms of a heart attack. To the community served by FPH, this means that
processes are in place that meet strict criteria aimed at:
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Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of
the heart muscle can be preserved
Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure
that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital
Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel
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Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek
medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack
“People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that’s a mistake,”
states Donna Trickey, FPH Chief Nursing Officer. “The average patient arrives in the emergency
department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don’t realize is
that the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the
outcome for the patient.”
By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI, Fairview Park offers another
enhancement to the quality of care for the cardiac patient, further demonstrating its ongoing
commitment to higher standards. Fairview Park Hospital answered a need for Regional cardiac
care with the opening of the Heart Center in 2001, offering cardiac catheterization, stress
testing, echocardiograms, and nuclear cardiology. The continuum of care for the heart patient
includes focal points such as dispatch, Emergency Medical Services, emergency department,
cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac rehabilitation, FPH’s quality assurance plan, and community
outreach programs.
Having participated in the Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team (C-PORT) trial,
Fairview Park has also been granted approval to continue performing specific interventional
cardiology procedures; angioplasty & stenting. With the recent addition of a board-certified
thoracic surgeon, the FPH physician team of cardiologists is experienced and available 24/7. If a
patient needs open-heart surgery, FPH physicians and staff work closely with our sister facility in
Macon providing a seamless transition of care to Coliseum Heart Institute at Coliseum Medical
Centers (Coliseum Heart Institute is also an Accredited Chest Pain Center).
About Fairview Park Hospital
A 190-bed, state-of-the-art, acute care facility, Fairview Park has served the health care needs of
the heart of Georgia region since 1982. With more than forty departments, our mission is to
provide the highest quality healthcare using a qualified medical staff and the latest in diagnostic
and support technology. Our mission is to treat our communities as family and meet their
health needs by providing compassionate quality care.
About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
Established in 1998, SCPC is a patient-centric nonprofit international organization focused on
improving care for patients with heart disease. Central to SCPC’s mission is the question, “What
is right for the patient?” In response, SCPC promotes protocol-based medicine, often delivered
through a chest pain center model, to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary
syndrome and heart failure and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by
healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, SCPC provides accreditation and education to
facilities striving for optimum cardiac care. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more
information on SCPC and accreditation opportunities, visit www.scpcp.org, or call toll free
1-877-271-4176.
About CPORT & PCI
Known as C-PORT, it was developed by the Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team at
the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, led by Dr. Thomas Aversano, was implemented in over
50 hospitals nationwide. The three year long study contributed to a national registry to
determine the best way to treat people who are having heart attacks. Results from the study
showed patients treated with immediate cardiac interventional procedures had a significantly
higher survival rate and a reduced chance of recurring cardiac problems and stroke, as
compared to treatment with clot breaking medication.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) involves inflating a narrowed coronary artery without
performing surgery. During this procedure a cardiologist will determine the most appropriate
treatment for the condition. PCI can involve one or more of the following procedures:
 Balloon catheter angioplasty – A cardiac catheter with a small balloon around it is placed
in the narrowed artery. The balloon is inflated with liquid expanding the artery and
pushing the blockage to the side of the arteries where it remains.
 Stent – Following a balloon angioplasty, the cardiologist places a small, hollow metal
“stent” in the artery to keep the blockage at the sides of the artery. The stent will insure
that the artery remains open following the procedure.
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